Manifolding record assembly



April 1939- E. K. BOTTLE 56,143

MANIFOLDING RECORD ASSEMBLY Filed June 3, 1930 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MANIFOIDIING RECORD ASSEMBLY Application June 3, 1930, Serial No. 459,044

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in record receiving devices, ordinarily including long continuous record and transfer strips interleaved in manifolding transfer relation with each other, or single manifolding sets of record and transfer leaves, and adapted to receive record inscriptions applied in any well known manner, but particularly adapted for receiving inscriptions made in various recording apparatus such as autographic registers, typewriters, teletypewriters, billing and accounting machines, and the like. It is a fact that considerablediiiiculty has been experienced in connection with record receiving devices or manifolding assemblies and particularly where the latter are utilized in conjunction with machines and apparatus of the type mentioned. More particularly, this difficulty is attributable to the tendency of the several strips or leaves of a record pile or assembly to creep out of alignment as they move towards and through the machine. The results of the several sheets of a record set moving out of alignment with respect to each other are apparent and with this in mind, it has been proposed that the record strips be periodically attached to each other to prevent any danger of appreciable relative movement and this attachment has usually been placed at one point in each leaf set. However, with this attachment provided for and the danger of creepage eliminated, other difliculties have arisen in separating the record and carbon leaves in the actual practical commercial use of the manifolding assembly.

The present invention aims to provide a construction by means of which it will be practicable to attach the sheets or leaves of each manifolding pile or set to each other (to prevent relative movement thereof), and also to embrace in such an attachment a construction whereby a ready subsequent separation of the sheets or leaves of the set may be effected.

A further object of the invention is that of achieving the foregoing object without danger of 5 destroying or mutilating the inscription receiving sheets and in which the separation into separate piles or groups of the inscribed record With these and further objects in mind, reference is bad to the attached sheet of drawings, illustrating preferred practical embodiments of the invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a record pile or set which forms one part of the long continuous manifolding assembly and has been severed therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a fan-fold type record; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a long continuous manifolding assembly transversely folded at intervals in a zig-zag supply pack.

In these illustrations, the record of Fig. 1 has been shown to embody a construction suitable -for use in a teletype apparatus or other machine of the pin feed type, and the construction of Fig. 2 has been illustrated as embodying no feed perforations.

It will be understood that the latter record might embody these feed perforations and that they might be eliminated from the record of Fig. 1. In other words, it is customary to provide feed perforations in one or more of the assembly strips with which one or more toothed wheels of the apparatus cooperates. This is in many respects desirable, but it will be understood that in certain aspects an unperforated record will cooperate properly with a teletype apparatus, and a perforated record will likewise cooperate to advantage with many other forms of inscribing machines.

Referring particularly to Fig. 3, a record assembly of the long continuous traveler type is shown as being folded transversely at longitudinally spaced intervals therealong into a zig-zag folded supply pack wherein the successive stacks or sets of relatively superposed record and transfer sheets are positioned between the adjacent fold lines of the assembly. The complete record assembly thus includes long continuous traveler record strips and one or more long continuous traveler transfer or copying strips all interleaved with each other in manifolding transfer relation and all having. transverse weakened severance lines such as the lines indicated at 6 which may be provided by lines of perforations and'are indicated by the serrated edges of the several record and transfer sheets. These transverse weakened severance lines 6 are longitudinally spaced apart at form-length or sheet-length intervals in both the record and transfer strips so as to define the sets or stacks of relatively superposed record and transfer sheets. These sheets are positioned in succession in end to end relation to form the long continuous record and transfer strips. The sets of record and transfer sheets may be successively severed from the assembly along the weakened severance lines. As mentioned, the assembly is preferably folded zig-zag into a compact supply pack and it is preferable to fold the assembly along the respective sets of weakened lines, but it will be understood that the assembly of record and transfer strips may be otherwise arranged as desired for convenient use, or .for handling, etc.

As shown in Fig, 1, the assembly includes an upper record sheet I and a lower record sheet 8 each of which may have upon its upper face a printed form. These sheets are formed with feed apertures or perforations 9 and interposed between them is a sheet or leaf ll] of copying material such as carbon paper. As shown in Fig. 1, it is preferred to make the transfer strip or sheet l0 narrower than the record layers, so that the feed apertures 9 lie outwardly beyond the edges of the transfer strips at both assembly edges. It will be understood that for the sake of simplicity of illustration, merely the minimum number of layers or strips have been shown, i. e. upper and lower inscription receiving sheets and a single interleaved copying layer. Obviously any desired number of layers might be provided.

With a view to securing the individual layers of the manifolding assembly against relative movement, any desirable securing means may be employed. In the embodiment under consideration a staple II is utilized for this purpose, and the length of this staple is shown exaggerated for the purpose of clarity. -This fastening means which, of course, might be of any desirable nature such as stitching, a rivet, pasting, etc., serves to secure the sheets or strips of the manifolding assembly in the manner desired, and the difllculty heretofore noted is experienced after a form length or set of leaves has been severed from the record assembly and the individual leaves or sheets of the severed set are to be segregated. With this in mind, the staple passes through the carbon leaf I 0 as well as the record leaves or sheets 1 and 8, and the latter are provided with supplemental lines of perforations l2, having their ends preferably somewhat spaced from the adjacent serrated edge or severance line 6, but as a consequence of which areas of the inscription receiving sheets may readily be removed from the bodies of the latter and the fastening means I ll being disposed within these areas. I

It is preferredto position the supplemental weakened lines l2 intermediate the longitudinal edges of the assembly as shown so that the severable finger-grip areas defined by these lines will be spaced inwardly from both longitudinal assembly edges and thus protected from damage. In the embodiment shown, each severance line I2 has its opposite ends transversely spaced apart and terminating in the vicinity of the respective weakened transverse severance lines 6, but preferably spaced slightly from the latter as above mentioned. The transfer element or elements I 0 are preferably, as shown, unprovided with supplemental weakened severance lines corresponding to the severance lines l2 of the recordjelements. The edge of each transfer leaf l0 which is opposite to the fastening device I l of each set of record and transfer leaves, is provided with a notch or marginally offset portion l3 so as to provide a grip escaping aperture orselective' grip formation. These notches or apertures l3 may be variously positioned but are spaced from the respective fastenings H and provide relatively offset marginal portions of the record and trans fer sheets of a severed'set thus making a selective grip formation on each severed set whereby the record sheets or leaves may be selectively gripped to the exclusion of the transfer leaf or leaves.

In use, the record as in Fig. 3 is fed through and suitably beyond the inscrlbing station of any desired type of apparatus. At the inscribing station, the sheet I has inscribed upon it the desired indicia which, by means of the copying leaf |0 or otherwise-15 transferred to the upper face of the sheet 8, this duplication occurring according to the number of layers in the record pack. Thereafter, the'record is severed with or without the assistance of a tearing bar to segregate the inscribed pack or set of leaves from the body of the record assembly. The severed set may be individually filed and may receive further inscriptions. When it is desired to separate the record and transfer sheets of the severed set, the operator merely grasps the severable finger grip areas defined by the weakened lines l2, and also grasps the inscription receiving'sheet in line with the openings or out-away portions l3, whereupon a pull exerted in opposite directions, serves to remove said finger grip areas together with the fastening devices from the record sheets. When this occurs, it will be obvious that the transfer leaf or leaves l0 will be removed from interleaved relation with the record sheets. It will be understood that single manifolding sets such .as shown in Figs, 1 and 2 may be made and used independently of the long continuous assemblyas shown in Fig. 3, or they may be successively severed from said assembly 'along the weakened severance lines 6. Thus, by one operation it becomes feasible not alone to eliminate the fastening element, but also to segregate the copy or other desired leaves of the-pack from the remaining sheets thereof.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that in lieu of separate zigzag superposed strips of inscription receiving and copy materials, a fanfold construction is shown including a relatively broad webl4 folded longitudinally of its length to provide the fan-fold construction'in addition to preferably being folded transversely and provided adjacent these lines of fold with lines of severance. The longitudinal folds of the wide web l4 are positioned at the opposite longitudinal edges of the manifolding assembly and function to attach together the record strips which are adjacent to one another. upon reference to Fig. 2, that the top and next underlying record strips areattached by the longitudinal fold shown at the left near the top of Fig. 2, while the second and third record leaves or strips from the top are similarly attached by the fold at the right in Fig. 2. Interleaved between the record strips or layers of the web M are strips of copying material l5 which as at I6 may'have their corner, portions obliquely disposed.- The record and transfer strips Thus, it will be seen are also formed with transverse weakened -sev erance lines corresponding to the line 6 of Fig. 1 and positioned in line with the corresponding fold lines of the inscription receiving material.

In order .to retain the strips of copying material against displacement, a staple l1 or other mentary. line of perforations I8 is formed in each layer of the web l4 and serves to isolate that portion of the same which mounts the fastenin element.

Consequently with the record assembly inscribed and the pack as shown in Fig. 2 removed therefrom by tearing along the transverse lines of perforations, an operator by simply grasping the finger grip areas within the rows of perforations H3 and at the same time grasping the record strips of the web M in line with the selective grip formation formed by the removed corner portions l6, and exerting a pull in opposite directions, can very quickly and easily sever the finger grip areas carrying the fastening element or other means and thus segregate the strips of copying material from the inscribed record sheets.

It will be understood that by having the perforations l2 or [8 begin at a point not immediately adjacent to the line of'severance, the danger of the tear line following these perforations is reduced to a minimum.

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as specifically described may be achieved. It will be understood, moreover, that numerous changes in construction and rearrange-- ment of the parts might be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A record assembly including a plurality of consecutive record packs, severable from each other, along predetermined lines of severance, fastening means common to all of the sheets of each of said packs, certain of said sheets being formed with lines of scoring each having its ends terminating adjacent to but short of said lines of severance, and said fastening means being disposed within the spaces defined by said lines of scoring and said lines of severance.

2. A record assembly including a plurality of inscription receiving sheets formed with rows of feed perforations, an unperforated copying sheet between said first named sheets, fastening means common to all of said sheets, at least one sheet of one type being formed with a line of severance defining an area within which said fastening means is disposed and another sheet being formed with a grip escaping aperture to one side of said area.

3. superposed record strips divided at given intervals by straight transverse weakening lines to form successive sets of superposed record sheets, and a transfer strip between adjacent record strips transversely divided by weakened portions at similar intervals to provide a transfer sheet between adjacent record sheets, the record sheets of each set having registered relatively short weakening ines each intercepting a transverse line at two points to provide a detachable binding section, and a staple securing said sheets and the interposed transfer sheet together at the binding section, said transfer sheet at its opposite margin being formed with an edge portion inwardly offset from the adjacent transverse line of the record strips.

4. superposed record strips divided at intervals by weakening lines to 'form successive sets of superposed record sheets, and a transfer strip between adjacent record strips transversely divided by weakened portions at similar intervals to provide a transfer sheet between adjacent record sheets, the record sheets of each set having registered relatively short weakening lines each intercepting a transverse line to provide a detachable binding section, and a staple securing said sheets and the interposed transfer sheet together at the binding section, each of said short weakening lines lying adjacent to one of said staples and having its opposite end portions positioned adjacent to the corresponding said record strip weakening line intermediate the ends of the latter, said transfer sheet at its opposite margin being formed with an edge portion offset from the adjacent transverse line of the record strips.

5. superposed record strips and interleaved transfer strips divided at intervals by registered transverse weakening lines to form sets of interleaved record and transfer sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having at one edge of the set of sheets finger-grip areas extending inwardly from said edge of the set of sheets and defined by lines of severance including a weakened severing line while the remaining sheet or sheets of the set are free of such lines of severance at corresponding parts thereof, and fastening means located in said finger-grip areas for securing the sheets of the set together, said sheets containing said weakened finger-grip areas having offset therefrom marginal portions projecting beyond the contiguous marginal portions of the sheets which are free of the severance lines of the weakened finger-grip areas.

6. A unitary manifolding assembly including, in combination, a unitary free set of record sheets, having a binding in which said sheets'are bound, and at least one transfer sheet bound in said binding positioned in overlapping manifolding relation with said record sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having finger-grip areas extending inwardly from the bound edge of said set of sheets, of less width than said bound edge,

and defined by lines of severance including weakened severing lines, the remaining sheet or sheets being free of such lines of severance at corresponding parts thereof and the sheets of the set being bound within said finger-grip areas.

'7. A record assembly including, in combination, a plurality of inscription receiving sheets, a copying sheet positioned in transfer relation between said inscription receiving sheets, at least one of said sheets but less than the Whole number having rows of feed apertures positioned at opposite longitudinal marginal edge portions thereof, while the remaining sheet or sheets is narrower than the others and has its longitudinal edges lying within those of the others and is unprovided with feed apertures corresponding to those mentioned, fastening means common to all of said sheets and binding the lattertogether, one or more of said sheets, but less than the whole number, each being formed with a line of severance positioned to provide a detachable area within which said fastening means is interposed, and another sheet having a marginal portion spaced from said detachable area and offset from the adjacent marginal portions of the adjacent sheet or sheets so as to provide a selective grip formation.

8. A unitary manifolding assembly including, in combination, a set of record sheets having a binding in which said sheets are bound, and at least one transfer sheet bound in said binding positioned in overlapping manifolding relation with said record sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having finger-grip areas extending inwardly from the bound edge of said set of sheets, of less width than said bound edge, and defined by lines of severance including weakened severing lines, the remaining sheet or sheets being free of such lines of severance at corresponding parts thereof and the sheets of the set being bound within said finger-grip areas, one or more of said sheets but less than the whole number having rows of feed perforations positioned at opposite longitudinal marginal edge portions thereof while the remaining sheet or sheets is narrower than the others and unprovided with feed apertures corresponding to those mentioned.

9. A unitary manifolding assembly including, in combination, a set of record sheets, having a binding in which said sheets are bound, and at least one transfer sheet bound in said binding positioned in overlapping manifolding relation with said record sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having finger-grip areas extending inwardly from the bound edge of said set of sheets, of less width than said bound edge, and defined by lines of severance including weakened severing lines, the remaining sheet or sheets being free of such lines of severance at corresponding parts thereof and the sheets of the set being bound within said finger-grip areas, said record sheets which are next to each other being attached together by a fold at a longitudinal edge of the assembly.

10. A manifolding assembly including, in combination, superposed record and transfer strips interleaved with each other, said record and transfer strips being divided at intervals by transverse weakening lines to form sets of interleaved record and transfer sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having at one edge of the set fingergrip areas extending inwardly from said edge and defined by lines of severance including a weakened severance line, while the remaining sheet or sheets of the set are free of such lines of severance at corresponding parts thereof, said lines of severance each having the opposite ends thereof spaced apart and terminating in the vicinity of the respective said transverse weakening lines and being positioned intermediate the longitudinal assembly edges so as to form the said finger-grip areas of less width than that of the assembly, and fastening means located in said finger-grip areas for securing the sets together, said sheets with the weakened finger-grip areas having at parts offset from said areas marginal portions projecting beyond the adjacent marginal portions of the sheets which are free of the said weakened severing lines of the weakened fingergrip areas.

arcane 11. A manifolding assembly including, in combination, superposed record and transfer strips interleaved with each other, said record and transfer strips being divided at intervals by transverse weakening lines to form sets of interleaved record and transfer sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having at one edge of the set finger-grip areas extending inwardly from said edge and defined by lines of severance including a weakened severance line, while the remaining sheet or sheets of the set are free of such lines of severance at corresponding parts thereof, said lines of severance each having the opposite ends thereof spaced apart and terminating in the vicinity of the respective said transverse Weakening lines and being positioned intermediate the longitudinal assembly edges so as to form the said finger-grip areas of less width than that of the assembly, and fastening means located in said finger-grip areas for securing the sets together, said sheets with the weakened finger-grip areas having at parts offset from said marginal portions projecting beyond the adjacent marginal portions of the sheets which are free of the said weakened severing lines of the weakened finger-grip areas, said record strips which are next to each other being attached together by a longitudinal fold extending along a longitudinal edge of the assembly.

12. A unitary manifolding assembly including, in combination, a unitary free set of record sheets, having a binding in which said sheets are bound, and at least one transfer sheet bound in said binding positioned in overlapping manifolding relation with said record sheets, selected ones only of said sheets having finger-grip areas extending inwardly from the bound edge ofsaid set of sheets, of less width than said bound edge, and defined by lines of severance including weakened severing lines, said severing lines being positioned adjacent to said bound edge and having opposite end portions thereof positioned intermediate the extremities of said bound edge, the remaining sheet or sheets of the set being bound within said finger-grip areas, and marginal portions of the record and transfer sheets being relatively ofi-set at a part of the assembly remote from said binding to provide a selective grip formation. I

EDWARD KIRBY BOTTLE. 

